“WHERE do they get these people?”

How often have we heard that comment from friends and family as they look over the list of candidates in the local electorate.

Some might have been parachuted in to do their party’s bidding, or worse, their own, others are single issue candidates or have obscure agendas.

Rarely, do you see what you want or what’s needed.

“Just give us someone normal. Someone from here who will listen, who understands the issues, who understands us, and will represent us for all the right reasons; they want to give our kids a future, they’ve experienced the local health system, driven on our roads and shared our highs and lows.”

That person, without doubt, is Brett Tessari.

And together with his wife of 26 years, Leanne, they’ve worked their way up and down the electorate, almost single-handedly, over the past few months, to put the result in the electorate of Bass on an absolute knife-edge, little more than a week out from the opening of ‘Early Voting’, at Wonthaggi and Cowes, on Monday, November 14.

Born and bred in Wonthaggi, and educated at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and the Wonthaggi Tech School, Brett learned a lot of his life skills as a team player at local sporting clubs, including cricket, football and basketball.

He played his junior footy with the Wonthaggi Blues and when they joined the Latrobe Valley league, he crossed to the Rovers where he played in a senior premiership. He played his final season of footy out at Dalyston.

He joined the football club committee at Wonthaggi at a young age and ultimately rose to the position of President of the Wonthaggi Power FNC, served as a delegate to the league and now, as the Gippsland League’s first Chairman of the Board.

In that role he handed out the premiership cups at Moe on grand final day.

Professionally he’s worked in home building sales, as a hardware manager and real estate agent.

But it was his extensive involvement in sports and sports administration that prompted him to run for the Bass Coast Shire Council where he has now served two terms as mayor.

“I never really gave being a Member of Parliament any thought until I was elected Mayor and started representing the community and being involved at that level,” said Brett this week.

“You hear those things people say about having someone from here, someone local to represent us in parliament and I was encouraged to stand and I’m glad I did. I’ve been able to meet a lot of really nice people along the way, that I never would have met otherwise,” he said.

“Leanne was right behind me from the beginning and even when I had a few setbacks with it, she encouraged me saying ‘I’m really with you on this, if you want to do it’. And here we are.”

Ultimately Brett was endorsed as the Nationals’ candidate for Bass, and he’s found the party’s country and regional emphasis to be a great fit for what he’s on about.

He and Leanne have been inseparable in the past few months, putting up dozens and dozens of signs right across the district, from Pearcedale and Cranbourne South in the west to Tooradin, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang in the middle and in the southern parts of the electorate, covered by the Bass Coast Shire.

“We’ve both got over the fences, out into the paddocks and through the long grass to get the signs up and there’s been plenty of walking and letterbox dropping as well.”

The themes, according to Brett, are very consistent all the way around.

“It’s cost of living pressures including concern about interest rates, fuel prices and power costs, that and the condition of the roads. They always come up, then it’s access to health care, housing and one or two other local issues, like the constant stream of trucks at Lang Lang, and the threat to their CERT service.

“There’s local issues like that in every area.”

A resident of the area all his life, and following two stints as mayor and extensive involvement in sport, Brett is well known in the Bass Coast half of the electorate but he’s gaining recognition in the northern end as well.

“I’ve been doing a fair bit of visiting and I’m starting to get to know more people around Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang and Tooradin.

“But definitely, getting your name out there in some of the other places has been a real challenge.”

On the weekends, Brett’s been a regular at local markets, fetes and other public events, with any spare time devoted to walking the streets.

Recently it involved setting up the Nationals tent at Newhaven and Cowes, over the long weekend, where a range of issues were raised, but mostly, according to Brett, people just come up for a chat.

“It’s been great. The response we’ve had has been terrific but it’s getting really, really busy now.”

Last Thursday night it was the ‘Island Voices’ political forum at the Phillip Island RSL, and this Wednesday, November 9 (7pm-8.15pm) it’s the VFF farmers forum at the Grantville Hall with the following candidates already accepting invitations to attend:

* Jordan Crugnale (Labor)

* Aaron Brown (Liberal)

* Brett Tessari (Nationals)

* Jeni Jobe (Independent)

* Elly Mouselis (Animal Justice).

Nominations close: at 12 noon on Thursday, November 10 for candidates endorsed by a registered political party, so there could still be more runners emerge.

There’s a candidates’ forum at Mitchell House in Wonthaggi on Thursday night, November 10 and on Friday, November 11 it’s on again at the Corinella Hall.

The next big job now for Brett is getting enough people to man the 24 voting places across the electorate of Bass, for 10 hours on election day, Saturday, November 26 and for each of the Early Voting days at Wonthaggi and Cowes from Monday, November 14.

For some unknown reason there’s no early voting centre in the northern part of the Bass electorate.

“It’s been great, I’ve really enjoyed getting out there. It’s up to the voters now,” said Brett.

If you know Brett and would like to help handing out ‘how to vote’ cards on election day, you can contact him on Facebook or send him a text message on 0409722661.